Polishing apparatus



April 7, 1942. IN. H. NELsoN 2,278,794 PoLIsHING APPARATUS' Filed March 18, 1941 .34'..3- v *y Z7 26 M.

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detachable connection Patented Apr. 7, 1942 UNITED STATES TENT oFFICE ROLISHI'N G AlPAR/ACIIUS Nels H. Nelson, Bellefontaine, Ollio ApplicationllVIarclL` 18, 19411,` Serialiv No.I 283399K?.

'7.Clai'ms.

This invention relates to shoe polishing. apparatus.

One object of the invention is the vprovision of ashoe polishingapparatus whichembod-'ies a motor driven polishing wheel, the apparatus being of very simple, light and cheap construction and adapted tov be'- conveniently carriedv about by the user.

Another object is the provision ofv ai readily portable apparatus of this` character, in which the polishing wheel is adapted tobe` veryf conveniently attached to and detached froml the projecting shaft of thev motor, the attachment between thepolishing wheel and themotor'shaft being such thattheparts can be instantly separatedmerely by force applied to the pol'isher and withoutholding the shaft.

Another object is the provision. of a readily portable shoe polishing apparatus embodyingf a polishing wheel and a motor for driving the wheel; the polishing wheel being Supported entirel'y. by the motor and. the motor beingl sup'- ported on a thin flat base, substantially level with the floor on which the base rests so that theY base may be conveniently stood.; upon and thus held rmly in position by the person using the apparatus.

Another object is the provision of a readily portableV shoepolishing apparatus having amovtor driven polishing. wheel which is carried en- Iturn being tirely by4 the motor, the motor inV fixed on a thin flat base which is adaptedk to be stood upon by the. user,.the basea ditheimotor -b'eingfv interconnected. by.r a: trouser` guard.` which extends-'upf along. one: side of the polishing: wheel and: which reaches: overthe top ofthe wheel but exposes. an endv polishing area on.l the wheel.

Other objects and. advantages of the invention willbe apparentfrom the following descrip:- ,tion, the appended claims and the accompanying drawing, inwhich: j

.Fig 1 is a. perspectiveview of a portablepol -ishing apparatus embodying the presentA invention;

Fig. 2 is` anend. elevation of lthef-apparatusg-. Eig. Sis a Vertical Eig. 2,'i

Fig; 4 is a view,.shown"inl.a centrallongitudinal A,.seotion, of'awpolishingl wheel in which the polish.-

ingarea is'of bristleformation; and

Fig.,5 is. an enlarged detail4 View showing the between. the polishing Wheel and the'motor shaft. f The drawingi showsithef preferred embodiment effect.

the top of which is en'polishing or cleaning device adapted to polish or^clean-shoes worn by the person using the apparatus. Referringmore particularly to the drawing in which the. same reference. numerals have been applied to like parts in the several views,- the polishing* apparatus comprises an electric motor' I'0 mounted upon av base II and operating apolishing or cleaning wheel l2' which is suitably'spfaced above the top of the base, and which is driven by the motor at a suitable speed ofrotation to give-a desiredl polishing or cleaning The motor speed maybe of the orderY of 1800 R. P. M. for awheelV having a diameter of aboutr'veinches; although if wheels of a considerably larger diameter than the 'gurementionedare used, a smaller motor speed should be chosen. l

The base` H*- is preferably a comparatively light, thin sheet of material having sufficient rigidity for: the purposey although beingiincapabl'e of withstanding large bending forces to which it could be intentionally subjected.; Thematerial used is preferably strong fibre board ofV about oneeighth inch thickness. The motor i0' is v suitably screwed or bolted upon the base at one side thereofthe base extending' under thepolishin'gl wheel andzalso extendinglaterally from both the motor and the polishing wheelto provide a flat surface on. which a person using the apparatus can stand; Thissurface isv almost level with the ilooron'which; the. base may-rest,` so that. a persons foot can rest conveniently partly on the base and partly on'. the floor. adjacent' thebas'e. The portion. of: the? base on which the: motor is carried formsfa main base member, an extension basey portion being provided .by arigid' sheet. I4` of similar: material, hinged to thel main base m'emisection on the line 3-312-of ber by hinges l5 which permit: the. extension member lli to lie horizontally in continuationl of the mainL base member while the apparatusii'sf in use, but permitting theextension member. I4 to be-swung to aniupstanding position where it llies in a position slightly inclined tothe vertical and krests against the side ofthe motor. and .the p'olishing.. wheel. In this position it entends. sub'- stantially to the vlevel of the top ot themotor`y so that the entire apparatus can; be housed' in` a comparativelyfsrnall. space; and so that Ith'efap'- paratus can bewm'orei conveniently/carried* about.

of the inventionin alreadily' portable `motor drivi- 55 The. motor housing rotatablysupportsthe rotor inthe conventional mannerlliysuitable bearings at theendsof the nrotor housing, aswill be readily understoodi Fixed tothe rotor and: pro'- jecting from one end'ofthemotor is a rigidt'rotor shaft I6, provided` with a radially projectingv lug l1. The polishing wheel, comprises a metal sleeve I8 which ts on the rotor shaft so that it is readily slidable axially of the shaft, the end of the sleeve having an axial slot I9 which is laterally enlarged at its inner terminal end at both sides of the slot to form a space that receives the lug I1 and providing for the detachable connection or release of the wheel with respect to the shaft. Fixed on the sleeve I8 is a wooden spool or block 20 to which is attached a covering layer of soft spongy rubber 2l. Stretched over the sponge rubber layer there is a wool or fleece covering 22 forming an annular polishing surface and also providing an end polishing surface at the end of the wheel remote from the motor. At the other end of the wheel the wool or fleece covering is pulled down over the rubber layer and held in position by a ring 23 of cord or wire.

as shown in Fig. 3,

Fig. 4 shows a different form of polishing wheel A which may be supplied for use in place of the fleece covered wheel. The wheel 24 shown in Fig. 4 is more particularly adapted for use in cleaning as well as polishing. The wheel 24 comprises a metal sleeve 25 similar in construction to the sleeve I8, and fixed on the sleeve is a wood block or spool 26 which is provided with radially extending bristles 21 forming an annular polishing or cleaning area. At the end of the block 26 there are axially extending bristles 28 forming an end polishing or cleaning area at the end of the wheel remote from the motor.

The slot I3 in the sleeve I8 is only very slightly larger than the diameter of the lug l1 on the rotor shaft, and the sleeve is cut away at the outer end of the slot to provide curved portions 3|] forming a slot enlargement at its outer end into which the lug l1 may be readily entered. At the inner end of the slot there is an opening 3i which is considerably wider and somewhat longer in an axial direction than the diameter of the lug l1, and extending laterally or annularly from the slot in both directions, the opening 3l providing curved surfaces 32 of concave at the slot. The curvature of these surfaces 32 near the slot is very much larger than the curvature of the lug l1, and the curved surfaces 32 terminate abruptly at the slot, the construction thus being such that no spring devices are required to hold the wheel in its assembled position on the shaft during operation although the wheel may be instantly connected to or detached from the shaft without requiring the shaft to be held against rotation, and merely by a push or pull applied to the wheel. In applying the wheel the sleeve is merely pushed onto the shaft until the end of the sleeve strikes against the lug I1 and then the wheel is rotated a part of a revolution until the lug enters in the enlarged space 3l. Thenwhen the motor is started the lug I1 will ride against the lateral end of this enlarged space and will notlbecome separated. The motor may be started and stopped without causing the lug to ride out of the slot, since the concave surfaces 32 cause the lug to move past the inner end of the slot in case of relative turning movement of the wheel on the shaft during operation. However, when the motor is stopped, the wheel may be grasped and pulled in the direction away from the motor, preferably while slightly rocking it on the shaft, and can be instantly freed from the shaft without holding the latter against rotation.

At the back of the wheel is a trouser guard 34, preferably of sheet metal,

form, terminating the slot I9 and is receivedand of a suitable length 7 will .adapt itself to to extend up at one side of the wheel between the motor and the point near the outer end of the wheel to expose the end polishing area of wool or bristles according to which wheel is employed on the shaft. At its lower end, the trouser guard 34 is rmly secured, by means of bolts or screws 35, to the base member I I at points outwardly .of the end of the motor, while the upper end of the trouser guard is rigidly connected to the motor. This connection to the motor housing preferably comprises a metal strap 35 extending along the top of the trouser guard and bent downwardly along the lateral face of the motor housing, to

which it is attached by means of a bolt 31. The trouser guard reaches over the top of the wheel some little distance above the wheel so that the trouser cuffs will be protected by the guard from contact with the rotating wheel. The trouser guard forms a rigidifying connection between the comparatively light flat base ll and the motor housing and enables the sheet used in the construction of the base member to be comparatively light and thin although affording an adequate support for the purpose intended.

Extending upwardly from the top of the motor is a handle 38 one end of which is bolted to the motor housing preferably by the same bolt 31 which secures the end of the strap 36 in place, a similar bolt being used for the attachment of the other end of the handle. The handle is arranged above the center of gravity of the apparatus and provides a convenient means by which the appalratus can be readily picked up and carried about motor,y preferably a toggle switch operated by a lever arm that may be swung laterally to close or open the motor circuit. lA connection lead 42 electrically connects the switch to the motor and to the connection lead 39. The switch 4| is adapted to be readily operated by the user merely'by moving the toe of his shoe against the switch lever arm to swing the, arm from one side to the other.

In using the apparatus, the base Il is placed on the floor at any desired location and the bristle wheel applied to the rotor shaft. With the connection lead plugged into a supply source', the motor is energized by operating switch 4I, and the wheel revolves. The person desiringhis `shoes to be vcleaned or shined stands on the base and applies one foot against the side and lower portions of the revolving wheel, moving his shoe about so as to apply different portions of the shoe to the Wheel. Since he is standing on the base Il, the motor will be firmly supported despite forces applied to the rotating wheel by the shoe. When both Vof the shoes the person is wearing have been cleaned, the motor may be stopped and the rotating brush removed and replaced by the polishing or bufling wheel with the fleece surface, and the motor started and the shoes buffed or shined.V Since the fleece surface of this wheel is applied to a soft spongy layer of rubber, the contour of thepolishing surface the shape of the portion of the shoe pressed against-it. After completing the polishing operation, the motor switch is moved to oi position by the shoe of the user, and the plug 40 is removed from the socket. The extension sheet I4 of the base is then moved upwardly on its hinge connection to extend up alongside of the motor and the Wheel, and the person can then conveniently pick up the apparatus, using the handle 38, and move it to an out of the way position.

While the form of apparatus herein described constitutes a preferred embodimentl of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein Without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A readily portable shoe polishing apparatus adapted to be conveniently carried about by one hand of the user, comprising a thin iiat base the top of which is substantially level with a floor on which the base may rest so that a persons foot can rest conveniently partly on the base and partly on the loor adjacent the base, an electric motor mounted uponsaid base at one side thereof and having a rigid motor shaft projecting horizontally from and supported entirely by they motor housing, said base extending under the projecting end of the shaft and adapted to be stood upon by the user, a polisher detachably connected to the projecting end of the shaft and adapted for instant removal from and attachment to said shaft, the bottom of the polisher and the top of the base having such vertical spacing as to receive the instep portion of a shoe therebetween, and a connection lead extending from the motor. y

2. A readily portable shoe polishing apparatus adapted to be conveniently carried about by one hand of the user, comprising a thin fiat base of bre board, an electric motor mounted upon said base at one side thereof and having a rigid motor shaft projecting horizontally from and supported entirely by the motor housing, said base extending under the projectingend of the shaft and adapted to be stood upon by the user, la polisher detachably connected to the projecting end of the shaft and adapted for instant removal from and attachment to said shaft merely by force applied handle at the top of the motor substantially above the center of gravity of the polishing apparatus, and means for energizing the motor.

axially to the polisher, a carryingv 3. yA readily portable shoe polishing apparatus f adapted to be conveniently carried about by the user, comprising a thin fiat base, an electric motor mounted upon said base at one side thereof and having zontally from and supported entirelyby the motor housing, said base extending under the projecting end of the shaft and adapted to be stood upon by the user, a polisher detachably connected to the projecting end of the shaft and adapted for instant release and attachment With respect to the shaft merely by force applied to the polisher, and a trouser guard extending upwardly along one side of the polisher, reaching over the top of the polisher, and having a rigid connection to the motor housing at a location above the base and a rigid connection to the base at a location beyond the end of the motor.

4. A readily portable shoe polishing apparatus adapted to be conveniently carried about by the user, comprising a thin fiat base member, an

a rigid motorshaft projecting horii electric motor mounted on the top of said base member at one side thereof and having a rigid motor shaft projecting horizontally from and supported entirely by the motor housing, said base member extending under the projecting end of the shaft, a sheet of material hinged to the base member and forming a continuation level with the base member and also operable to an upstanding position at one side of the motor, said base member and sheet being adapted to be stood upon by a person when using the apparatus, and a polisher detachably connected to the projecting end of the shaft.

5. A readily portable shoe polishing apparatus adapted to be conveniently carried about by the user, comprising a thin fiat base, an electric motor mountedupon said base at one side thereof and having a rigid motor shaft projecting horizontally from and supported entirely by the motor housing, said base extending under the projecting end of the shaft and adapted to be stood upon by a person using the apparatus, a polishing Wheel having an annular polishing area and an end polishing area, said polishing Wheel having a detachable connection to the projecting end of the shaft with its end polishing area remote from the motor, and a trouser guard xed to said base and extending up along one side of the polishing wheel and reaching over the top of the polishing wheel but exposing the end polishing area and one side of the Wheel.

6. A readily portable shoe polishing apparatus I adapted to be conveniently carried about by the user, comprising a thin at base, an electric motor mounted upon said base at one side thereof and having a rigid motor shaft projecting horizontally from and supported entirely by the motorhousing, said base extending under the projecting end of the shaft and adapted to be stood upon by a person using the apparatus, a polishing Wheel having an annular polishing area and an end polishing area and having such spacing from the top of the base as to accommodate the instep portion of the shoe therebetween, said polishing wheel having a detachable connection to the projecting end of the shaft with its end polishing area remote from the motor, a foot operated switch for starting and stopping the motor, and a trouser guard fixed to said base and extending up along one side of the polishing wheel and reaching over the top of the polishing wheel but exposing the end polishing area and one side of the wheel.

7. A readily portable shoe polishing apparatus adapted to be conveniently carried about by the user, comprising a thin flat base, an electric motor mounted upon said base at one side thereof CERTIFICATE oF CORRECTION. Patent No. 21,278,79u. April 7, 191m.

NELS H. NELSON.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the above numbered patent requiring oorreotionasfollows: In the headingtotheprintedspecification, line h, for the serial number "285,996" read -585,996ff;andthat tne said 4Letters Patent should be read with this eorrection therein that the same may conform to the record of the ease in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 26th day of May, A. D. 19h2.

Henry Van Arsdale,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

